FRIDAY EDITION: I hope
you all had a great
Thanksgiving, it was strange not
having the whole family
together. Always has been my
favorite holiday, food, family
and friends...no gifts....
Yasme Foundation Announces
Excellence Awards
The Yasme Foundation has
announced the latest
recipients of the Yasme
Excellence Award. They are
Brett Ruiz, PJ2BR, and
Helena Ruiz, PJ2ZZ; Bob
Wilson, N6TV; Jari
Perkiömäki, OH6BG, and Jim
Brown, K9YC. The Yasme
Excellence Award recognizes
individuals and groups who,
through their own service,
creativity, effort, and
dedication, have made a
significant contribution to
amateur radio. This may be a
technical, operating, or
organizational achievement.
Brett and Helena Ruiz
have been active leaders of
the VERONA Radio Club,
Curaçao’s International
Amateur Radio Union (IARU)
member-society, for more
than 20 years. Their
participation has included
technical activities,
disaster preparedness and
relief, and training of
potential radio amateurs.
They serve as liaisons to
government and international
organizations, and
contribute to important
events, such as the Global
Amateur Radio Emergency
Communications Conference
(GAREC) and IARU conferences
and meetings. Brett Ruiz is
also active in long-distance
VHF propagation and digital
communication.
Yasme recognized Bob
Wilson, N6TV, for his
technical support to
hundreds of hams through
various radio manufacturers’
user groups and logging
software communities, and
for assistance to Reverse
Beacon Network (RBN) hosts
in keeping their equipment
configured and running. He
also provides invaluable
support to traveling hams
worldwide. “Along with
being technically talented,
he is exceptionally selfless
in using that talent to help
others; quick to encourage
others in many areas,” the
Yasme Foundation said in
announcing the awards.
Jari Perkiömäki, OH6BG,
has volunteered to support
the online
VOACAP software
and website for nearly 20
years, making world-class HF
propagation prediction and
modeling services available
to any radio amateur. “He
believes in teamwork,
acknowledging the
contributions and ideas from
the ham community for
further development of the
service, but especially from
James Watson, M0DNS/HZ1JW,
and Juho Juopperi, OH8GLV,”
Yasme said. Perkiömäki
estimates that VOACAP
online serves thousands of
users from more than 100
countries every month,
including integration with
the DX Summit and Club Log
services. He is part of the
Radio Arcala, OH8X, team and
acts as a propagation
specialist, assisting the
World Radiosport Team
Championship (WRTC)
community, the Radio Society
of Great Britain (RSGB), and
others.
Jim Brown, K9YC, was
cited for his extensive
contribution to amateur
radio regarding ferrite
materials and their use in
combating RF interference,
feed-line applications, and
transformers. “His
efforts to improve
transmitter performance and
operating practices are also
greatly appreciated, as are
the extensive set of
personal publications
available to the public and
performing reviews of
technical material for
amateur radio publishers,”
Yasme said.
The Yasme Excellence
Award is in the form of a
cash grant and an
individually engraved
crystal globe.
Ham radio contact spurred
South Pole visit
Forbes magazine describes how
an amateur radio contact with
the Amundsen-Scott Station at
the South Pole spurred
Jim Clash WA3JID to
travel there and operate the ham
radio station
The
article describes the contact in
the early 1970s that changed his
life:
I was a
15-year-old in Laurel, MD, when
I obtained my general-class FCC
license, which allowed me to
transmit with 1,000 watts on
select frequencies. I spent many
an hour on my radio - between
homework, sleep and my Baltimore
Sun paper route - chatting with
hams in countries all over the
world, including Australia, the
Seychelles Islands, Japan,
Mozambique - even the Soviet
Union during the Cold War.
Late one night, when I was
on the 14-MHz frequency band, my
life changed. A ham operator in
Antarctica poked weakly through
the static. Upon a closer
listen, it was clear that not
only was he in Antarctica, but
at the Amundsen-Scott Station on
the geographic South Pole. My
heart skipped a few beats. The
South Pole! That was about as
wild and remote a place as my
teenage imagination could
conjure up.
TDAY: Spent a few days
of testing on the
hospital....have a good
holiday....
Alaskan repeater network
affected
Alaskan broadcast station
KNOM (780 AM 96.1 FM) reports
‘Miscommunication’ between the
FAA and SPARC led to an amateur
radio network being shut down
The broadcaster says:
For the last two months,
since at least Sept 18 , Nome’s
HAM Radio network has been
inactive. The regional HAM Radio
club is working to fix the issue
that shut them down, even though
they didn’t cause the equipment
to fail.
The Seward
Peninsula Amateur Radio Club,
also known as SPARC, is headed
up by Wesley Perkins
KL0FM of Nome. Perkins
says he first noticed something
was wrong with their equipment
at one of their repeater sites,
a few miles outside of town,
around the 18th of September.
SPARC operates about a half
dozen receivers across the
Seward Peninsula, along with a
hub receiver in downtown Nome.
Perkins says the majority of
these operate on solar power,
and the one, located at the
aeronautical Very high frequency
Omni-directional Range (VOR)
site, will also be switching
over to that natural power
source soon.
According to
Perkins, the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) used to own
the outer marker building at the
VOR site just outside of Nome.
But within the last decade, the
FAA abandoned the site and
transferred ownership of the
building to SPARC.
The
FAA confirmed with KNOM via
email that the agency no longer
owns or maintains the outer
marker building, and that
responsibility was given to
SPARC.
Researchers and citizen
scientists have just discovered
a new phenomenon: "Little green
cannonballs of light" streaking
through the atmosphere faster
than 1000 mph during some
geomagnetic storms. And they're
not auroras.
As the producer and
creator of QSO Today,
I wanted to make a
pre-episode, called 000, to
introduce myself, this
podcast and blog. I want to
share with you my ham radio
story. A QSO, however, is a
conversation between hams.
That is why Episode 001 will
be the first of many
conversations that I will
have with hams who have a
story to tell. Stay tuned to
my QSO Today Podcast.
Coast Guard Proposes to
Discontinue HF Voice
Watchkeeping
11/25/2020
The US Coast Guard
has invited comments by
January 21, 2021, on a
proposal to discontinue
HF voice watchkeeping.
The
proposal
appeared on November 20
in the Federal Register.
The USCG proposes to
cease monitoring 4125,
6215, 8291, and 12,290
kHz, in the contiguous
US and Hawaii, due to a
lack of activity.
“We believe this
change would have a low
impact on the maritime
public, as commercial
satellite radios and
Digital Selective
Calling (DSC) marine-SSB
HF radios have become
more prevalent onboard
vessels,” the Coast
Guard said. “However, we
would like your comments
on how you would be
affected if we
terminated monitoring HF
voice-only distress
frequencies within the
contiguous US and
Hawaii, particularly if
you use HF, but do not
currently have a
commercial satellite
radio or an HF
DSC-capable radio aboard
your vessel.”
The Coast Guard said
it would continue to
monitor HF DSC distress
alerting for all
existing regions and
voice distress and
hailing from Kodiak,
Alaska, and Guam. The
Maritime Mobile Service
Net (MMSN)
on 14.300 MHz rem
MONDAY EDITION: Rain,
thunder, and a little wind
here....I think Joe is onto
something big with the "Little
Joey". Screw HOA restrictions,
dipoles, towers and beams-a
pizza pan for a ground plane on
the rear deck and you can work
the world
Joe-JEK of Cobra Antenna Systems
finally has a new product in the
final beta testing stages named
the "Little Joey". It should be
available by early 2021. The
mobile antenna will handle 1000
watts SSB, less on FM and AM,
and boasts 1.1 swr from 10-160
and 2 and 440 as well!
G0KSC Antenna modelling
YouTube Channel
Justin Johnson G0KSC
inventor of the LFA (Loop
Fed Array) Yagi and BOLPA (Band
Optimised Log Periodic Array)
Log Periodic antennas amongst
others, has added a new YouTube
channel to help Hams become
proficient in Antenna Modelling.
‘A long time has passed since
we could build a radio as good
as any top end product we can
buy but this is still not the
case when it comes to Antennas’
says Justin. ‘There are three
types of Hams out there in my
opinion, those that will always
buy antennas. Those that will
always build there own and those
that will do whatever is
easiest.
This new YouTube channel will
provide a set of visual
tutorials that will guide the
user through antennas modelling
packages. We have started a
series on exploring EZNEC and
will move through 4NEC2,
MMANA-gal and on to more
sophisticated packages such as
Ansys HFSS.’ He went on to say.
‘ Ham Radio is a hobby of
experimentation and building
antennas that work as good as
any you can buy is still
possible.
With this series of
tutorials, it is hoped that the
follower will be in a position
where they can understand a
little better how their antennas
work, make adjustments to suit
stacked and clustered antennas
and perhaps make their own
improvements and adjustments to
designs too, before going on to
produce their own antennas from
software.’
Justin is encouraging ‘how
to’ questions which will help
shape the direction these
tutorials take. You can
subscribe to the channel through
the link below and are encourage
to view and get involved.
Dear Friends Of
Universal Radio, Time
waits for no one, and that
includes Barbara and myself. We
have decided to retire and our
current location in Worthington
will close on November 30, 2020.
Even though the store is closing
we will fulfill all existing
customer orders and have a large
amount of inventory to
close-out. The Universal Radio
website will be maintained for
the foreseeable future to sell
this remaining stock,
publications and some select
products. Unfortunately the lack
of a store front showroom will
preclude us from carrying some
manufacturers’ products. I am
very fortunate to have been in
the radio business for over 50
years, 13 at Radio Shack and 37
at Universal Radio. We have met
many wonderful people along the
journey who have supported me
personally as well as Universal
Radio. It has been a privilege
to have a continuous career in
the fascinating field of radio
since 1969. Please accept our
sincere “Thank You” for your
support of Universal Radio for
these many years, and for the
months to come. Our new address
for correspondence and mail
order is below. This is not a
store front.
Universal Radio Inc. 752 N.
State St. Unit 222
Westerville, OH 43082
Phone: 614 866-4267 Thank
you. 73, Fred Osterman N8EKU
Radio hams help in case of
man incarcerated 40 years
without trial
Radio amateurs from the West
Bengal Radio Club helped trace
the family of a man who'd been
languishing in a Nepali jail
without trial for the past 40
years
The Nepali Times
newspaper says:
The
mother of a Nepali man who has
been languishing in a Kolkata
jail without trial for the past
40 years has finally found out
his whereabouts after efforts by
journalists, lawyers and even
amateur ham radio enthusiasts in
India and Nepal.
Dipak
Jaisi had been arrested in 1981
in Darjeeling and was moved to
Dumdum Central Correctional Home
near Kolkata 15 years ago, where
a fire destroyed all records of
inmates.
Dipak Jaisi,
who is now about 62, left his
home in Ilam to find work in
Darjeeling, but was arrested for
an unknown crime. No one
bothered to take the court
process forward, he was left in
jail in Darjeeling and later for
some reason was transferred to
Kolkata.
The story only
came out when Dipak’s fellow
inmate Radheshyam Das was
released from the same detention
facility in Dum Dum, and he told
lawyers in Kolkata about a
Nepali man in jail without
trial. Das had first informed
the Nepal Consulate in Kolkata
about Dipak, but says the
mission did not show any
interest.
Then he
approached ham radio operators
at the West Bengal Radio Club
which uses shortwave radio
communications during disasters
for information and relief. The
Club’s Ambarish Das
Biswas VU2JFA contacted
ham radio contacts in Nepal, and
then wrote to Nepal’s former
Okhaldhunga High Court judge
Bidur Bikram Thapa on 31 October
to see if he could help trace
Dipak’s family.
Thailand grid NK99 on QO-100
geostationary satellite
During November 26-28
HS0AJ/P will be active
on QO-100 and the other amateur
radio satellites from Grid
Square NK99 in Thailand
A post on the AMSAT Bulletin
Board says:
The
Thailand’s Amateur Radio
Satellite group (AMSAT-HS) has
requested permission to
establish a temporary station
(DX portable) with the northern
office of the NBTC, Thailand’s
regulator, in Chiang Mai and Mae
Hong Son (grid NK99) provinces
in the north of Thailand during
the period from November 26-28,
2020 to communicate via All LEO
and MEO amateur radio satellites
(including QO-100 NB) that pass
over Thailand using the callsign
HS0AJ/P of the Radio Amateur
Society of Thailand under the
Royal Patronage of His Majesty
the King.
Hence we would
like to notify all radio
amateurs who would [be]
interested in contacting
stations in Thailand on its
northern border of this
activity. Even if the angle is
as low as 0 degrees please try
to contact us. We hope to meet
you on all satellites frequency
then.
Newly-discovered
Comet Erasmus
(C/2020 S3) is plunging
toward the sun for a
December close encounter
inside the orbit of Mercury.
Amateur astronomers
report that the comet is
rapidly brightening and has
sprung a long tail.
Check today's edition of
Spaceweather.com for the
full story and observing
tips.
WEEKEND EDITION: Looks
like my wife is he proud owner
of a new Volvo today, I talked
her out of the MINI Cooper
Clubman, phew!...New call sign
for a
Russian YL...
Foundations of Amateur Radio
When one WSPR
receiver just isn't enough
The other day during a radio
play date, highly recommended
activity, getting together with
friends, playing radio, seeing
what you can learn, we were
set-up in a park to do some
testing. The idea was an
extension on something that I've
spoken about previously, using
WSPR, Weak Signal Propagation
Reporter, to test the
capabilities of your station.
If you're not familiar with
WSPR, it's a tool that uses your
radio to receive digital signals
from WSPR beacons across the
radio spectrum. Your station
receives a signal, decodes it
and then reports what it heard
to a central database. The same
software can also be used to
turn your station into a beacon,
but in our case all we wanted
was to receive.
If you leave the software
running for a while you can hear
stations across many bands all
over the globe. You'll be able
to learn what signal levels you
can hear, in which direction and
determine if there are any
directions or bands that you can
receive better than any other.
We set up this tool in a park
using a laptop, a wire antenna
and a radio running off a
battery. In and of itself this
is not particularly remarkable,
it's something that has been
done on a regular basis all over
the globe, and it's something
that I've been doing on-and-off
for a few years.
What made this adventure
different is that we were set-up
portable about a kilometre up
the road from the shack, whilst
leaving the main WSPR receiver
running with a permanent
antenna.
This gave us two parallel
streams of data from two
receivers under our control,
using different antennas in
slightly different conditions,
within the same grid-square, for
the purpose of directly
comparing the data between the
two.
Over a couple of hours of
data gathering we decoded 186
digital signals, pretty much
evenly split between the two
receivers. More importantly, the
stations we heard were the same
stations at the same time which
gave us the ability to compare
the two decoded signals to each
other.
One of the aspects of using
WSPR is that it decodes the
information sent by a beacon.
That information contains the
transmitter power, the grid
locator and the callsign. After
the signal is decoded, the
software calculates what the
signal to noise ratio was of the
information and records that,
additionally giving you a
distance and direction for each
beacon for that particular
transmission.
I created a chart that showed
what the difference was between
the two, plotted against the
direction in which we heard the
decode. This means that you can
compare which antenna can hear
what in which direction in
direct comparison against the
other.
In telling this story another
friend pointed out that the same
technique could be used to
compare a horizontal vs. a
vertical antenna, even compare
multiple bands at the same time.
It looks like I might have to
go and get myself a few more
RTL-SDR dongles to do some more
testing. If you don't have a
spare device, there's also the
option of comparing other WSPR
stations that share a local grid
square, so you can see what
other people near you can hear
and if you like, use it as an
opportunity to investigate what
antenna system they're using.
WSPR is a very interesting
tool and putting it to use for
more than just listening to a
band is something that I'd
recommend you consider. I've
already created a stand-alone
raspberry pi project which you
can download from GitHub if
you're itching to get started.
Thank you to Randall VK6WR
for continuing to play and to
Colin VK6FITN for expanding on
an already excellent idea. If
you would like to get in touch,
please do,
cq@vk6flab.com is my
address.
I'm Onno VK6FLAB
ARRL November Sweepstakes
Phone Contest is this Weekend!
The ARRL
November Sweepstakes (SS)
phone weekend is upon us,
and this year, participants
will have to search out an
additional Section. The SSB
event is from November 20 –
22 (UTC), getting under way
at 2100 UTC on Saturday and
continuing through 0259 UTC
on Monday. Stations may
operate 24 of the available
30 hours. The SS Operating
Guide package, available
for download,
includes all rules and
examples of log formatting.
The deadline to submit SS
phone entries is November
29.
The number of ARRL
and Radio Amateurs of Canada
(RAC) sections
rose to 84 earlier this year
with the addition of Prince
Edward Island (PE) as a
separate entity. The
objective of SS — or
“sweeps” — is to work as
many stations in as many of
the 84 sections as possible
within 24 hours of
operating. The number of
sections worked is a score
multiplier, and working all
of them is a “clean sweep.”
The SS contest exchange
has deep roots in
message-handling protocol
and replicates a radiogram
preamble. In SS, stations
exchange:
Amateur Radio Newsline Report
2247 for Friday November 20th
2020
FOUR
AMATEURS IN SPACEX CREW DRAGON
LAUNCH
DON/ANCHOR: Our
top story this week is the
launch of the SpaceX Crew Dragon
capsule from the Kennedy Space
Center. On board? A crew of
four, all amateur radio
operators. Dave Parks WB8ODF has
the details.
DAVE: Four
amateur radio operators launched
into space on Sunday night,
November 15th, bound for their
destination aboard the
International Space Station.
Seated inside the SpaceX Crew
Dragon capsule, astronauts
Michael Hopkins KF5LJG, Victor
Glover KI5BKC, Shannon Walker
KD5DXB and Japanese Space Agency
astronaut Soichi Noguchi KD5TVP
comprised the first fully
operational mission for the
private SpaceX company. The
Falcon 9 rocket launched with
the capsule, named Resilience,
at 7:27 p.m. Sunday night.
The quartet's 27-hour
journey marked the second manned
launch of Crew Dragon from
Florida's Kennedy Space Center.
A test mission that went up in
May sent NASA's Doug Hurley and
Bob Behnken KE5GGX into history
as Dragon's first space
passengers and the first NASA
astronauts to launch from
American soil since 2011.
The four amateur radio
operators are expected to remain
on the ISS for the next six
months.
** AMATEUR
INPUT SOUGHT FOR PROPAGATION
EXPERIMENT
DON/ANCHOR:
Hams, if you love experimenting
- and who doesn't? - this might
just be something to get
involved in. HamSCI, the Ham
Radio Science Citizen
Investigation, needs amateurs
around the world who can help
collect propagation data during
the eclipse happening across
South America on December 14th.
To do this, you'll need to have
a computer connected to your HF
radio.
Hams are being
asked to record data between the
9th and the 16th of December so
that there is plenty of control
data gathered for this
experiment. There will be two
24-hour practice runs
beforehand: one on the 21st of
November and the other on the
5th of December.
Visit
the Newsline website at
arnewsline.org to find the link
to the webpage containing
further details about the
experiment. Instructions are in
English, Spanish and Portuguese.
If you're interested in signing
up, contact Kristina Collins at
kd8oxt at case dot edu
(kd8oxt@case.edu)
**
PROMINENT CROATIAN AMATEUR DIES
OF COVID-19
DON/ANCHOR: A
prominent ham in the Croatian
amateur radio community has
become a Silent Key. Ed Durrant
DD5LP tells us about him.
ED: One of the founders of
the Croatian Flora Fauna program
and the president of the
Croatian Flora Fauna amateur
radio club has become a Silent
Key. Emir Mahmutovic
(MAH-MYU-TO-VICH) 9A6AA died on
November 13th of COVID-19,
according to a report in DXNews.
Although hams in Croatia knew
him well from his work with the
Flora Fauna program, hams around
the world also logged their
contacts with him as an active
contester and DXer.
Emir
also served, between 1994 and
2009, as the first award manager
for the Islands of Croatia Award
program, according to Neno 9A5N.
Neno said the program had been
the vision of three other radio
amateurs in 1991 but was not put
into place until after the war
in Croatia. In 1994, Emir helped
Daki 9A2WJ with the launch.
According to Mark 9A8A his
friend of more than 40 years and
his former co-worker, Emir spent
the last two or three years
devoting himself to helping
young radio amateurs, working
with Ivica 9A2HW to teach the
children the basics of radio
technology. He also helped at
school competitions. Mark said
in an email "he had incredible
energy."
** REALTIME
SPECIAL EVENT HIGHLIGHTS VIRTUAL
SCI-FI CONVENTION
DON/ANCHOR: When COVID-19 turned
a popular sci-fi convention into
a virtual, socially distant
event, some Chicago area hams
got creative with some plans of
their own. Andy Morrison K9AWM
explains.
ANDY: In the
Chicago suburbs, what started
out as science fiction ended up
as science fact. WindyCon, the
well-attended annual science
fiction convention had to be
scrapped due to COVID-19 - but
the event went forward anyway as
a virtual convention known as
Breezycon, on November 13th
through 15th. While sci-fi
enthusiasts enjoyed panels,
music and gaming during those
three days, with socially
distant chatter on the Discord
app, hams from the DuPage
Amateur Radio Club W9DUP showed
their support as well. Taking
their cue from Breezycon's
change in plans - the move from
in-person to virtual - special
event station W9W got on the air
too, just as scheduled -- and
just as it had done in previous
years for Windycon.
As
things turned out, its operation
was a virtual success: Using
SSB, CW and FT-8, DuPage Amateur
Radio Club hams operated their
personal stations and paid
tribute to sci-fi fans who were
attending the big event from a
safe distance.
Some might
say this is truly the stuff of
sci-fi. But for those radio
operators among us who already
lost this year's in-person
opportunities at Hamvention,
Friedrichshafen and the big
Tokyo Ham Fair, this was simply
ham radio, doing what it does
best.
For Amateur Radio
Newsline I'm Andy Morrison
K9AWM.
DON/ANCHOR:
According to club vice president
Daniel Gunderson N9MUF, the four
operators logged 149 contacts
over the weekend -- 93 SSB, 49
FT8 and 7 CW. Well-done.
(QRZ.COM, WINDYCON, DANIEL
GUNDERSON N9MUF)
**
FLORA & FAUNA ACTIVATIONS SWEEP
AUSTRALIA
DON/ANCHOR:
Whether you're an activator or a
chaser, you don't want to miss
Australia's World Wide Flora &
Fauna activation this month.
Here's Robert Broomhead VK3DN to
tell us more.
ROBERT:
Hams in Australia are getting
ready for their big World Wide
Flora & Fauna activation weekend
on the 28th and 29th of
November. They are registering
their call signs and locations
with Paul VK5PAS, the national
coordinator. Paul is keeping
track of amateurs who are
involved so he can prepare a
report at the conclusion of the
event and send out Activation
Participation certificates.
The many sites include Cape
Blanche Conservation Park,
Mornington Peninsula National
Park, Murray Sunset National
Park and Echo Sugarloaf State
Reserve. There are more than 680
national parks throughout
Australia so there's plenty to
choose from.
By the way,
if you're planning to chase the
activators, they will be posting
alerts to spot their operations
on the website parksnpeaks.org
** ON-AIR TRIBUTE BEGINS
TO INDIA'S PIONEER BOSE
DON/ANCHOR: How do you pay
proper tribute to an early
pioneer of wireless
communication? You go on the
air, of course -- and that's
what is happening now in India,
as we hear from John Williams
VK4JJW.
JOHN: He is
honored by many in India - and
well beyond - as the father of
wireless communication. There is
no question that Jagadish
Chandra Bose, who was born on
the 30th of November in 1858,
left a sizable legacy to radio
when he died in 1937. Every year
for the past 15 years, Datta
VU2DSI has gone on the air as a
reminder to hams everywhere that
we owe much to this
progressive-thinking 19th
century born man of science and
his experiments, including
communication in the microwave
frequency range using a Galena
crystal in his 60 GHz receiver.
This year Datta will honor
Bose by operating with the call
sign AU2JCB between the 20th of
November and the 15th of
December. He will be joined by a
number of other stations
operating as well with JCB in
the suffix.
For more
details visit the QRZ.COM page
for AU2JCB and be listening.
** UK 'CARE' CAMPAIGN
ADDS FOCUS FOR HOLIDAY SEASON
DON/ANCHOR: What's the best
gift you can give a ham for
Christmas this year? A campaign
in the UK called "Get on the Air
To Care," has a suggestion. It's
"Get on the Air for Christmas"
-- and Jeremy Boot G4NJH has the
details.
JEREMY:
Organisers are calling it "Get
on the Air for Christmas" and
the campaign is an offshoot of
the highly successful "Get on
the Air to Care" joint programme
of the National Health Service
and the Radio Society of Great
Britain.
While "Get on
the Air to Care" was a special
plea to amateurs to step up
their on-air activities during
the first pandemic lockdown to
ease the situation for lonely
amateurs, the focus during the
holiday period will be to bring
some good cheer if the lockdown
is extended, as it will surely
curtail celebrations between
friends and family. Organisers
want hams to be extra active
during the holiday period
between Saturday the 19th of
December and Saturday the 9th of
January. The radio society's
website will be posting the
schedules and information about
special nets being held on
Christmas Day and Boxing Day in
particular - or at any other
time during the season - and is
asking for clubs to email their
details as soon as possible. The
nets will also be publicised in
the next issue of RadCom and in
the GB2RS news broadcasts.
The email address is radcom
at rsgb dot org dot uk
(radcom@rsgb.org.uk).
Get
on the Air for Christmas has
also launched two Christmas Hope
QSO Parties, one that begins on
Monday the 21st of December and
another that begins on Monday
the 4th of January. Look online
for hashtag G O T A 4 C to
follow this campaign.
**
COLORADO HAM CLUB HOSTS FIVE
DAYS OF SANTA
DON/ANCHOR:
In Colorado, one radio operator
who has as much heart as holiday
spirit is reprising a role he
played once - many years ago --
only this time he's going on the
air to make it happen. Jack
Parker W8ISH tells us about him.
JACK: It's been a long time
since Chuck K0ITP (K ZERO I T P)
put on a Santa suit. That was
years ago at an event at a
country club in Peoria,
Illinois. This year, however,
the president of the Longmont
Amateur Radio Club in Colorado
is hopping back on the sleigh to
bring Santa to children via
amateur radio. He plans to be on
the air on the club repeaters
between 6 and 7 p.m. Mountain
Time on December 1st through
5th. Licensed hams are invited
to share their shack with a
youngster - perhaps a child or
grandchild - who will likely be
missing out on some of the
traditional events or seeing
Santa in person because of the
COVID-19 precautions. Chuck said
he will make sure they still
have a chance to talk to Santa
by getting on the air with a
licensed amateur.
Chuck
told the local newspaper, the
Times-Call, that the club is
hosting this event for the first
time because members are also
hoping to give children an early
holiday gift: the gift of an
interest in amateur radio. He
said it will give parents a
chance to hear what their kids
want to find under the tree.
Local hams can visit the
club website for repeater
information at W Zero E N O dot
org (w0eno.org) The repeaters
are also on EchoLink Node 8305
**
WORLD OF DX
In
the World of DX, it seems the
world's most remote island will
remain inaccessible for a bit
longer to amateur radio. The
Rebel DX Group had hoped to
activate Bouvet Island as
Three-Y-Zero-Eye (3Y0I) by the
end of this year but operators
are unable to travel because of
COVID-19 restrictions. The group
said on its website that their
equipment remains in South
Africa and if restrictions are
lifted before the conclusion of
the Antarctic summer they hope
to be ready. For updates visit
the website bouvetoya.org
Time is running out to work
Mike VK4DX as VK4DX/P on Russell
Island. His activation ends on
November 24th. Be listening on
40-15 metres where he will be
operating SSB and CW using 100
watts and wire antennas. Send
QSLs via the bureau, ClubLog,
Logbook of the World or direct
mail.
Be listening for
special event stations 7Z20G,
8Z20G and HZ20G being activated
by members of the Saudi Amateur
Radio Society during the G20
Riyadh summit in the capital
city of Saudi Arabia. The summit
began Nov. 13th and will
conclude on the 23rd. QSL via
LoTW or direct to the Saudi
Amateur Radio Society.
In
Indonesia listen on various HF
bands and modes for special
event station 8A10N to celebrate
that nation's "National Heroes
Day 2020." The station is being
operated by YH3BHL through
December 10th. Send QSLs via
LoTW or eQSL.
**
KICKER: WHEN A SPECIAL CALLSIGN
COMES A-CALLING
DON/ANCHOR: Finally, do you
believe in coincidence? Well
this week's final story - about
two YLs in Oregon and one
special callsign - might leave
you wondering. Here's Kent
Peterson KC0DGY.
KENT:
Marjory Ramey and Hannah
Rosenfeld are separated by seven
decades but united by four
letters and a number: W7HER.
That became Hannah's vanity call
this summer after the Oregon
college student, who belongs to
a family of hams, passed her
Extra Class exam, encouraged by
her father Scott N7JI.
Scott N7JI wrote on QRZ.COM that
[quote] "It's obviously an ideal
call sign for a YL."
No
doubt Marjory Ramey would agree.
Now 95 years old, she was known
as Marjory Allingham in 1939
when the callsign was hers. Like
Hannah, Marjory was also part of
a ham family - her father
William held the callsign W7Ky
and her mother Lucille was
W7FXE.
Scott unearthed
all this during a dig in the
online archive of Radio Amateur
Callbooks to learn more about
his daughter's new callsign. He
later discovered Marjory's house
was just a mile away right in
their hometown. Marjory, who is
no longer active in amateur
radio, was still happy to have
an eyeball QSO with the current
holder of the callsign -- and in
September they met. Marjory gave
Hannah some advice about the
University of Oregon, which
Hannah now attends -- and which
is Marjory's alma mater.
Though no QSL cards will be sent
from that eyeball QSO, Scott and
Hannah assured Marjory that
W7HER will be checking in with
her from campus every now and
again.
FRIDAY EDITION: Looks
like a burst of warm weather for
a few days...Ten keys to selling
ham gear video...Here is yet
another club to join....Here
in New England on 75 meters we
have a few regular rag chew
groups that meet every
afternoon, both interesting
experienced hams on 3900 and
3928....but what happened to the
3910 bunch old Warren, Paul,
Dick, Suckbag, and the gang?
They were a little rough around
the edges but were fun to listen
to once in a while....More
space junk but for a good
learning experience...I hear
from several sources that a
certain gent is active and back
to his old tricks on 14313. I
haven't listened there in a year
but I guess I better spin the
dial...I heard VE3ZSZ on 40
meter ECARS the other day, he is
quite a character with very
interesting bio on QRZ...
Bob-GWU swears by this
stuff...Made by Lucas, the most
unreliable ignition system ever
developed...I had a BSA
motorcycle and it also had the
worst carbs ever
developed...carbs sucked on a
MGB I had also..
Arizona Congresswoman
Introduces National Amateur
Radio Operators Day
Resolution.....funny, we are
so important they want to tag us
with new fee's for renewal and
call changes
US Representative
Debbie Lesko of Arizona has
introduced a
resolution
designating April 18, 2021,
as National Amateur Radio
Operators Day, to recognize
the important contributions
of amateur radio operators.
“Amateur radio
operators are critical in
times of crisis and our
communities are safer thanks
to their dedication to
sharing important
information with the
public,” Lesko said. She was
approached to introduce the
resolution by 12-year-old
Raymond, N7KCB, from Peoria,
Arizona.
“I started
Long Distance
Responders so I
can help prepare the
community for emergencies
with amateur radio,” said
Raymond. “There might be a
price for a radio, but the
ability and knowledge to
help someone is truly
priceless.”
As Lesko’s
resolution notes, World
Amateur Radio Day (WARD) is
celebrated annually on April
18 to commemorate the
founding of the
International Amateur Radio
Union (IARU)
in 1925, and she said her
resolution recognizes the
amateur radio community with
a national day in the United
States in 2021. The
resolution cites the Amateur
Radio Emergency Service
(ARES®) for providing
“invaluable emergency
communications services
following recent natural
disasters, including but not
limited to helping
coordinate disaster relief
efforts following Hurricanes
Katrina, Wilma, and Maria
and other extreme weather
disasters.”
Arecibo radio telescope, an
icon of astronomy, is lost
The National Science
Foundation (NSF) will
decommission
Arecibo Observatory's
massive radio dish after damage
has made the facility too
dangerous to repair, the agency
announced today (Nov. 19).
The announcement came as
scientists
awaited a verdict about the
fate of the iconic observatory
after damage to the
complex cabling supporting a
900-ton science platform
suspended over the dish. In
August, a
cable slipped out of its
socket, but engineers
evaluating the situation deemed
it stable; earlier this month, a
second cable unexpectedly
snapped, leaving
Arecibo's fate much more
perilous. After considering
three separate engineering
reports, the NSF, which owns the
property, has decided the
facility is unstable enough that
there is
no way to repair the damage
that does not put personnel at
undue risk.
"Our goal has been to find a
way to
preserve the telescope
without placing anyone's safety
at risk," Sean Jones, assistant
director for the Mathematical
and Physical Sciences
Directorate at the NSF, said in
a news conference today.
"However, after receiving and
reviewing the engineering
assessments, we have found no
path forward that would allow us
to do so safely. And we know
that a delay in decision making
leaves the entire facility at
risk of an uncontrolled
collapse, unnecessarily
jeopardizing people and also the
additional facilities."
Question:
Does
anyone
know
the
backstory
of
why
Hy-Gain
sold
out
to
the
Starkville,
MS
group?
I
just
bought
a
"Hy-Gain"
AV-640
and
was
putting
it
together
today.
The
instruction
book
is a
POS.
Lousy
diagrams,
instructions
not
on
the
same
page
as
diagrams,
no
page
numbers.
Not
a
single
picture.
The
metal
parts
look
like
they
were
cut
by a
3rd
grader
with
a
dull
Dremel
tool.
Hy-Gain
used
to
be a
name
that
meant
quality.
What
happened?
DE
W2WHC
DEF CON ham radio talks on
YouTube
Talks from the DEF CON event
are available on YouTube, they
include a number of amateur
radio talks from the
conference's Ham Radio Village
Among the amateur radio
talks are: • Talking to
Satellites by Eric Escobar
KJ6OHH • The K0BAK News Van
by Pete Kobak K0BAK • Single
Board Computers (Raspberry Pi)
In Amateur Radio by Typer
Gardner KI7ODK • Ham Radio
Snail Mail NTS and the Radiogram
Format by Aaron Hulett K8AMH
• Hunting tape measure yagis and
offset attenuators by Mark Smith
KR6ZY • APRS Demo by Bryan
Lamoreaux KG7OOW
THURSDAY EDITION: Worst
HF rigs.....Out looking for
a new car for the xyl. what a
pain in the ass visiting
dealerships. This will be her
car, just not another Volvo, her
wants are exterior car color
white, leather interior white or
tan, heated seats, satellite
radio, sunroof.. looking at
Honda , Toyota, BMW, ....
ARRL Seeks Waiver of
Proposed FCC Amateur Application
Fees
ARRL has urged the FCC to
waive its proposed $50
amateur radio application
fee. The Commission proposal
was made last month in a
Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking (NPRM)
in MD 20-270. The proposal
already has drawn more than
3,200 individual comments
overwhelmingly opposed to
the plan. The fees, directed
by Congress and imposed on
all FCC-regulated services,
are to recover the FCC’s
costs of handling and
processing applications.
“Amateur radio
applications were not listed
when the Congress adopted
its 1985 fee schedule for
applications, and therefore
amateur license applications
were excluded from the
collection of fees,” ARRL
said on November 16 in its
formal
comments
on the proposal. “Similarly,
a decade later when
regulatory fees were
authorized, the Amateur
Service was excluded, except
for the costs associated
with issuing vanity call
signs.” The new statutory
provisions are similar.
Amateur radio license
applications are not
addressed in the application
fees section and explicitly
excluded from regulatory
fees,” ARRL said, and there
is “no evidence of any
intent by Congress to change
the exempt status of amateur
applications and instead
subject them to new fees.”
ARRL argued that the FCC
has explicit authority to
waive the fees if it would
be in the public interest,
and should do so for the
Amateur Radio Service.
Unlike other FCC services,
the Amateur Radio Service is
all volunteer and largely
self-governing, with
examination preparation,
administration, and grading
handled by volunteers, who
submit licensing paperwork
to the FCC, ARRL pointed
out.
“Increasingly, the
required information is
uploaded to the Commission’s
database, further freeing
personnel from licensing
paperwork as well as [from]
day-to-day examination
processes,” ARRL said. “The
addition of an application
fee will greatly increase
the complexity and
requirements for volunteer
examiners.”
The Communications Act,
ARRL noted, also permits the
FCC to accept the volunteer
services of individual radio
amateurs and organizations
in monitoring for rules
violations. In 2019, ARRL
and the FCC signed a
memorandum of understanding
to renew and enhance the
ARRL’s Volunteer Monitor
program, relieving the
Commission of significant
time-consuming aspects of
enforcement.
These volunteer services
lessen the regulatory burden
— including the application
burden — on the Commission’s
resources and budget in ways
that licensees in other
services do not, ARRL said.
Amateur radio’s role in
providing emergency and
disaster communication,
education, and other
volunteer services also
justifies exempting radio
amateurs from FCC
application fees. For
example, ARRL noted, last
year more than 31,000
participated as members of
the ARRL Amateur Radio
Emergency Service (ARES),
and local ARES teams
reported taking part in more
than 37,000 events, donating
nearly 573,000 volunteer
hours, providing a total
value of more than $14.5
million.
Amateur radio also has
motivated many students to
develop critical science,
technology, engineering, and
mathematics (STEM) skills.
ARRL noted that the Amateur
Radio Service contributes to
the advancement of the radio
art, advances skills in
communication and
technology, and expands the
existing reservoir of
trained operators,
technicians, and electronics
experts — all expressed
bases and purposes of the
Amateur Radio Service.
“Accomplishing these
purposes entails working
with young people, many of
whom may have difficulty
paying the proposed
application fees of $50,
$100, or $150,” ARRL said.
“The $150 fee would be the
cost of passing the
examinations for the three
amateur license levels in
three examination sessions,”
ARRL said. “Such multiple
application fees to upgrade
would dampen the incentive
to study and demonstrate the
greater proficiency needed
to pass the examinations for
the higher amateur classes.”
ARRL concluded that the
FCC should exercise its
authority to exempt amateur
radio from application fees
generally. If the FCC cannot
see its way clear to waive
fees for all amateur radio
license applications, the
fees should be waived for
applicants age 26 years and
younger. Such individuals,
ARRL contended, have the
most to contribute to the
future of radio technology
and other STEM-related
activities and are the most
likely to find the proposed
application fees burdensome.
International Broadcast
Station Interference Overwhelms
Hurricane Watch Net
As Category 4 Hurricane
Iota neared landfall in
Central America on November
16, the Hurricane Watch Net
(HWN)
was forced to suspend
operations at 0300 UTC
because of what HWN Manager
Bobby Graves, KB5HAV,
described as “deafening
interference from a foreign
AM broadcast station that
came out of nowhere at 0200
UTC.” At the time, the net
had shifted to its 40-meter
frequency of 7.268 kHz,
collecting real-time weather
and damage reports via
amateur radio.
“This was heartbreaking
for our team, as the eyewall
of Iota was just barely
offshore,” Graves said. “The
storm had weakened slightly
to a Category 4 hurricane
with sustained winds of 155
MPH.” After activating at
1300 UTC, the net was able
to collect and forward
reports from various parts
of Nicaragua and Honduras
via WX4NHC throughout the
day for relay to forecasters
at the National Hurricane
Center in Miami. Iota was
the most powerful storm on
record to make landfall this
late in the hurricane
season.
Graves said the very
strong AM signal was on
7.265 MHz. “From my
location, it was S-9,” he
told ARRL. “You could not
hear anything but the BC
station.” The source of the
signal was not clear, but as
he noted, other foreign
broadcast stations are to be
heard from 7.265 to 7.300
MHz and splattering close
by.
Stations handling
emergency traffic during the
response to Category 5
Hurricane Iota had requested
clear frequencies on
November 16 to avoid
interfering with the HWN and
with WX4NHC, as well as with
a Honduran emergency net
operation on 7.180 MHz and a
Nicaraguan emergency net
operating on 7.098 MHz. It’s
not known if those nets were
also affected by
interference from the
numerous broadcasters on 40
meters. “Thank you to all
who allowed us a clear
frequency,” Graves said on
behalf of the HWN.
Iota made landfall not
far from where Hurricane Eta
had come ashore in Central
America just a week earlier
before soaking southern
Florida. Central America is
still recovering from Eta.
Hurricane Iota
weakened significantly
following landfall, but not
before delivering some 30
inches of rain, catastrophic
winds, and mudslides to huge
swaths of Central America.
Forecasters say
storm swells could be felt
as far north as the Yucatán
Peninsula, as far east as
Jamaica, and as far south as
Colombia. No deaths were
reported in Nicaragua.
Authorities were said to be
monitoring rivers and
sheltering vulnerable
populations.
“I dare say, don’t let
your guard down,” Graves
said. “A new tropical wave
has developed behind Iota.
Should this become a storm,
it will be named Kappa.”
SpaceX Dragon Capsule
Resilience Ferries Four Radio
Amateurs to the ISS
SpaceX Dragon
capsule Resilience,
carrying four radio
amateurs, autonomously
docked on November 17 at
0401 UTC with the
International Space Station
(ISS). A SpaceX Falcon 9
launcher carrying the
precious payload went into
space on Sunday, November
15, from NASA’s Kennedy
Space Center. They comprise
the ISS Expedition 64/65
crew.
“Well, the ISS is loaded
with hams now,” Amateur
Radio on the International
Space Station (ARISS) US
Delegate for ARRL Rosalie
White, K1STO, said on
Tuesday. “These four arrived
very early this morning
Eastern Time: NASA
astronauts Victor Glover,
KI5BKC; Mike Hopkins,
KF5LJG, and Shannon Walker,
KD5DXB, as well as Japan
Aerospace Exploration Agency
(JAXA) astronaut Soichi
Noguchi, KD5TVP.” This marks
Glover’s first time in
space. The others all are
ISS veterans.
Earlier this year, NASA
ISS Ham Project Coordinator
Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO, held
amateur radio licensing
study sessions for Glover,
who passed the Technician
exam on August 20.
The four will remain on
station until next spring.
They joined Expedition 64
Commander Sergey Ryzhikov
and Flight Engineer Sergey
Kud-Sverchkov of the Russian
space agency Roscosmos, on
the ISS.
White said all but
Noguchi likely will take
part in ARISS contacts with
schools. White said the
first school contact is
tentatively scheduled for
December 4 with Tecumseh
High School in Oklahoma,
home of the Tecumseh High
School Amateur Radio Club,
K5THS. She said the students
have earned their ham
licenses, and the club has
built an antenna and is
learning about satellites
and circuits.
The Sunday launch from
Kennedy Space Center marked
only the second
crewed-flight for the SpaceX
Crew Dragon, which became
the first commercial vehicle
to put humans into orbit
when astronauts Doug Hurley
and Bob Behnken, KE5GGX,
launched in May, and NASA
gave SpaceX the go for
future such launches.
“The return of human
spaceflight to the United
States with one of the
safest, most advanced
systems ever built is a
turning point for America’s
future space exploration,”
SpaceX claimed, “and it lays
the groundwork for missions
to the moon, Mars, and
beyond.”
WEDNESDAY EDITION:
Europe's
versison of our HRO....Best
Buy black Friday deals
you probably don't
need.........
Right or
left
brain?
The
first
picture
you'll
see,
will
show the
most
requested
hemisphere.
Look at
the
picture
quickly.
Which
animal
did you
see
first?
(1) The
head of
a tiger:
The left
hemisphere
of your
brain is
more
active
than the
right.
You are
an
analytical
person,
very
focused
on the
success
of your
goals
and
organized.
When you
face a
problem,
you tend
to be
logic,
calculator
and
objective.
However,
sometimes
you
think
too much
about
the
decisions
you
make,
checking
that
they are
correct,
which
makes
you tend
to be
firm.
Remember
that a
little
humility
will
help you
help
away.
Your
personality
features
are as
follows:
Organized:
You do
all your
things
in a
planned
way,
like you
have a
bucket
list.
Accurate:
you have
fixed
goals
and you
know the
way to
achieve
them.
lucid:
emotions
and
feelings
don't
prevent
you from
reaching
your
goals.
Logic:
you have
good
skills
for
mathematics,
science
and
organization
of
ideas.
Realistic:
your
world is
very
real.
There is
no room
for
fairy
tales
and
fiction.
And
anyway,
although
your
goals
may seem
to be
high for
others,
you know
they are
real and
doable.
(2)
Hanging
monkey:
The
right
hemisphere
of your
brain is
very
active.
You are
a
creative
person
who has
a lot of
innovative
ideas.
When you
face a
difficult
situation,
you
rather
trust
your
intuition
(you're
almost
always
right)
instead
of
resting
on
critical
thinking.
You know
perfectly
well
that
every
step you
take in
your
life is
a lesson
for you
and that
even if
you
lose, it
means
that you
are
moving
towards
the
success
of your
goals.
For you,
travel
is more
important
than the
goal. As
you are
a
dreamer,
you
often
get lost
in your
own
paradise.
For you,
it's
essential
to keep
your
feet on
Earth
from
time to
time,
realize
the
reality
and pay
a little
more
attention
to the
world
around
you.
Your
personality
features
are as
follows:
Impulsive:
you do
things
in a
spontaneous
way. You
have the
ability
to see
everything
in a
different
way
compared
to other
people.
Sensitive:
you
worry a
lot
about
everything.
You
spend a
lot of
time
thinking
and
acting
based on
your
feelings.
Creative
and
artistic:
you are
an
expert
in
music,
art and
other
creative
disciplines.
Intuitive:
you
don't
list the
tasks to
do and
you
don't
respect
the
rules.
You
solve
problems
in an
intuitive
way.
Dreamer:
you have
dreams
instead
of
having
goals,
and you
give the
best of
you to
achieve
them,
and
generally,
it's a
success.
Remember
that the
two
hemispheres
of the
brain
don't
work in
an
insulated
way,
they
work
together
and
complete
each
other.
So,
although
it looks
like you
have
more
features
from one
of the
hemispheres,
you may
also
have
features
from the
other
hemisphere.
So, what
did you
see
first?
The
tiger's
head or
the
hanging
monkey?
Do your
personality
traits
match
the
descriptions
given?
Crazy 3D images of
Mars
Warning: Mars is
about to leap out of
your computer screen.
European astronomers
have just released some
of the best photos of
Mars ever taken from
Earth. They've assembled
the images into a
crazy-good 3D animation
of the Red Planet
spinning on its axis.
The
latest space weather
forecast from Dr
Tamitha Skov WX6SWW
Ham Talk
Live! Episode
237 -- Q&A with
Rob Sherwood,
NC0B and the
IC-705:
Rob
Sherwood,
NC0B
from
Sherwood
Engineering
returns
to take
your
questions
from his
last
show due
to
technical
difficulties.
Plus,
he's had
a chance
to test
the Icom
IC-705
in the
last two
weeks.
Be sure
to tune
in to
this
follow
up from
episode
234 and
call in
with
your
questions!
Website
:
Rob
Sherwood,
NC0B
from
Sherwood
Engineering
returns
to
take
your
questions
from
his
last
show
due
to
technical
difficulties.
Plus,
he's
had
a
chance
to
test
the
Icom
IC-705
in
the
last
two
weeks.
Be
sure
to
tune
in
to
this
follow
up
from
episode
234
and
call
in
with
your
questions!
Tune
into
Ham
Talk
Live!
Thursday
night
at 9
pm
EST
(Friday
0200Z)
by
going
to
hamtalklive.com.
When
the
audio
player
indicates
LIVE,
just
hit
the
play
button!
If
you
miss
the
show
live,
you
can
listen
on
demand
anytime
also
at
hamtalklive.com;
or a
podcast
version
is
on
nearly
all
podcast
sites
a
few
minutes
after
the
live
show
is
over.
Some
sites
include
Apple
Podcasts,
Stitcher,
Google
Play,
SoundCloud,
and
iHeart
Podcasts;
and
it's
also
available
on
YouTube.
A
replay
is
also
broadcast
on
WTWW
5085
AM
on
Saturday
nights
at
approximately
3:30
pm
Eastern.
Be
sure
to
CALL
in
with
your
questions
and
comments
by
calling
859-982-7373
live
during
the
call-in
segment
of
the
show.
You
can
also
tweet
your
questions
before
or
during
the
show
to
@HamTalkLive.
TUESDAY EDITION: Little
cold this morning
....Damn mice ate the wiring in
my wifes Volvo and totaled the
car, you got to be shitting
me...
EMAIL TODAY:
Jon K1TP ...
Monday's Blog re: Space
Debris reminded me of this
site to give a good graphic
of all the space
Being on an Island, pick
"The Deep Sea" to start off
with!
Always enjoy the Blog.
Continued good health and
safety to you and the
family.
Hope your Thanksgiving is
joyous and good!
73 de xx2ONH Charlie
Five Ways Ham
Radio Has Changed in the Last 40
Years
Posted by Sean Kutzko,
KX9X
I’ve been licensed for
almost 40 years now. Hobby
radio has been a part of my
life, in one form or
another, since I was three
years old. In that time, it
has morphed and changed in
some very interesting ways,
not all of which I was able
to predict. Not all change
is progress, though. I’ve
definitely seen some stuff
that I don’t find
particularly positive about
the way Ham radio has
evolved.
Here are five major ways
I feel Ham radio has changed
since I earned my Novice
license back in May of 1982.
Please note, my opinions are
my own and I speak for
nobody but myself.
1. SWLing Isn't
as Much Fun Anymore
While not strictly Ham
radio, many Hams my age got
started in the hobby through
shortwave radio listening,
or SWLing. I started off
with a Radio Shack Globe
Patrol shortwave kit, which
my brother built and gave to
me. I then wrapped about a
mile of copper wire around
my bedroom for an antenna
and rarely took my
headphones off after that.
Signals from all around the
world came into that little
box: The BBC, Radio Moscow,
Radio Beijing, Radio
Australia, HCJB in Ecuador
(see below), and so many
others. I had a solid grasp
on world geography by the
time I was seven, thanks to
shortwave radio.
These days all the big
stations are gone, thanks to
the Internet. It’s more
economically feasible to
stream your programming
online than to maintain
several 500 kW broadcast
facilities around the world.
Yes, there’s still stuff to
listen to on shortwave, but
most of it is religious
broadcasts and China Radio
International. I still tune
in from time to time just to
see what’s on the air these
days, but the radio spectrum
has definitely shifted, and
streaming the BBC online
just doesn’t scratch the
radio itch like shortwave
did.
The 11
Greatest Vacuum Tubes You've
Never Heard Of
These vacuum devices stood guard
during the Cold War, advanced
particle physics, treated cancer
patients, and made the Beatles
sound good
By Carter M. Armstrong
In an age
propped up by
quintillions of
solid-state devices,
should you even care
about vacuum tubes? You
definitely should! For
richness, drama, and
sheer brilliance, few
technological timelines
can match the 116-year
(and counting) history
of the vacuum tube. To
prove it, I’ve assembled
a list of vacuum devices
that over the past 60 or
70 years inarguably
changed the world.
And just for good
measure, you’ll also
find here a few tubes
that are too unique,
cool, or weird to
languish in obscurity.
Of course, anytime
anyone offers up a list
of anything—the comfiest
trail-running shoes, the
most authentic Italian
restaurants in
Cleveland, movies that
are better than the book
they’re based on—someone
else is bound to weigh
in and either object or
amplify. So, to state
the obvious: This is
my list of vacuum
tubes. But I’d love to
read yours. Feel free to
add it in the comments
section at the end of
this article.
My list isn’t meant
to be comprehensive.
Here you’ll find no
gas-filled glassware
like
Nixie tubes or
thyratrons, no
“uber high” pulsed-power
microwave devices, no
cathode-ray display
tubes. I intentionally
left out well-known
tubes, such as satellite
traveling-wave tubes and
microwave-oven
magnetrons. And I’ve
pretty much stuck with
radio-frequency tubes,
so I’m ignoring the vast
panoply of
audio-frequency
tubes—with one notable
exception.
But even within the
parameters I’ve chosen,
there are so many
amazing devices that it
was rather hard to pick
just eleven of them. So
here’s my take, in no
particular order, on
some tubes that made a
difference.
Medical
Magnetron
Photo: Teledyne
e2v
When it
comes to
efficiently
generating coherent
radio-frequency
power in a compact
package, you can’t
beat the magnetron.
The magnetron
first rose to glory
in World War II,
to power British
radar. While the
magnetron’s use in
radar began to wane
in the 1970s, the
tube found new life
in industrial,
scientific, and
medical
applications, which
continues today.
It is for this
last use that the
medical magnetron
shines. In a linear
accelerator, it
creates a
high-energy electron
beam. When electrons
in the beam are
deflected by the
nuclei in a
target—consisting of
a material having a
high atomic number,
such as
tungsten—copious
X-rays are produced,
which can then be
directed to kill
cancer cells in
tumors. The first
clinical accelerator
for radiotherapy was
installed at
London’s Hammersmith
Hospital in 1952. A
2-megawatt magnetron
powered the
3-meter-long
accelerator.
High-power
magnetrons continue
to be developed to
meet the demands of
radiation oncology.
The medical
magnetron shown
here, manufactured
by
e2v Technologies
(now Teledyne e2v),
generates a peak
power of 2.6 MW,
with an average
power of 3 kilowatts
and an efficiency of
more than 50
percent. Just 37
centimeters long and
weighing about 8
kilograms, it’s
small and light
enough to fit the
rotating arm of a
radiotherapy
machine.
Clear Frequencies Requested
for Caribbean Hurricane
Emergency Traffic
Stations handling
emergency traffic during the
response to Category 5
Hurricane Iota, just off the
eastern coast of Nicaragua,
are requesting clear
frequencies.
Radio amateurs not
involved in the emergency
response are asked to avoid
(± 5KHz) the Hurricane Watch
Net (HWN)
and WX4NHC (National
Hurricane Center)
frequencies of 14.325 and
7.268 MHz, as well as a
Honduran emergency net
operation on 7.180 MHz (net
control station is HR1JFA),
and a Nicaraguan emergency
net operating on 7.098 MHz.
With maximum sustained
winds of 160 MPH, Hurricane
Iota is expected to bring
catastrophic winds,
life-threatening storm
surge, and torrential
rainfall to Central America.
— Thanks to US Virgin
Islands Section Manager Fred
Kleber, K9VV (operating as
WX4NHC)
MONDAY EDITION: How to
see the 2020 Leonid
meteor shower this week
.....Found this interesting fact
about how
powerful COVID really
is....HUMANITY has been
launching stuff into space for
more than six decades and
it's
becoming a problem......Here
we go with the wind again, 60mph
gusts last night here on the
island. Nature provides free
tree pruning, I can't have any
more loose limbs left to fall
out of the trees....For
the 15th consecutive year, The
3916 Nets will be presenting The
Santa Net on 3.916 MHz. Good
girls and boys can talk to Santa
Claus, via amateur radio,
nightly at 7:15 PM (Central)
starting Friday, November 27,
2020. The Santa Net will run
nightly at 7:15 PM Central
through Christmas Eve, December
24, 2020 Website :
http://www.cqsanta.com
Alan Turing: Stolen items to
be returned to UK from US after
decades
Items belonging to World War
Two Bletchley Park code-breaker
Alan Turing
that were stolen from the UK
decades ago are to be returned
from the US.
The mathematician's miniature
OBE medal is among 17 items that
were taken from Dorset's
Sherborne School by Julia
Turing, who is no relation, in
1984.
They were found at her home
in Colorado in the US in 2018.
A US civil court case
launched against her has been
settled out of court and the
items are due to be returned.
HamSCI (www.hamsci.org)
is looking for amateur radio
operators around the world
to help collect propagation
data during the December 14
eclipse. Data collection
requires an HF radio
connected to a computer.
There will be 24-hour
practice runs on November 21
and December 5. The data
recording will run from
December 9-16.
New England Hams
you might run across 75
meters.........
K1TP-
Jon....Editor of As The World
Turns....
KA1BXB-Don...Regular
on
3928
afternoons....just
don't
mention
politics
to
him,
please! WB1ABC-
Ari..Bought an amp and now we
can here him on 75 meters,
worships his wife, obsessed with
Id'ing N1BOW-Phil...Retired
broadcast engineer, confused and
gullible, cheap, only uses
single ply toilet paper KB1OWO-
Larry...Handsome Fellow
,only cuts lawn in August, plows
snow the rest in Jackman, Maine W1GEK-
Big Mike....Nearfest Cook, big
motor home, electronics software
engineer ... AA1SB-
Neil...Living large traveling
the country with his
girlfriend...loves CW N1YX-
Igor....peddles quality Russian
keys, software engineer K1BGH...Art.....Restores
cars and radio gear, nice fella... N1XW.....Mike-easy
going, Harley riding kind of
guy! K1JEK-Joe...Easy going, can
be found at most ham flea market
...Cobra Antenna builder.. KA1GJU-
Kriss- Tower climbing pilot who
cooks on the side at
Hosstrader's... W1GWU-Bob....one
of the Hosstrader's original
organizers, 75 meter regular,
Tech Wizard!!! K1PV-
Roger....75 meter regular, easy
going guy... W1XER...Scott....easy
going guy, loves to split
cordwood and hunt... WS1D-
Warren- "Windy" - Bullnet KB1VX-
Barry- the picture says it all,
he loves food! KC1BBU-
Bob....the Mud Duck from the
Cape Cod Canal, making a lot of
noise. W1STS- Scott...philosopher,
hat connoisseur,
KB1JXU-
Matthew...75 meter regular...our
token liberal Democrat out of VT KMIG-Rick....75
Meter Regular....teaches the
future of mankind, it's scary! K1PEK-Steve..Founder
of Davis-RF....my best friend
from high school K9AEN-John...Easy
going ham found at all the ham
fests K1BQT.....Rick....very
talented ham, loves his
politics, has designed gear for
MFJ... W1KQ- Jim- Retired
Air Force
Controller...told quite a few
pilots where to go! N1OOL-Jeff-
The 3936 master plumber and
ragchewer... K1BRS-Bruce-
Computer Tech of 3936...multi
talented kidney stone passing
ham... K1BGH- Arthur, Cape Cod,
construction company/ice cream
shop, hard working man.... W1VAK-
Ed, Cape Cod, lots of experience
in all areas, once was a Jacques
Cousteus body guard.... K1BNH-
Bill- Used to work for a bottled
gas company-we think he has been
around nitrous oxide to long .
Silent Key
K1BXI- John.........Dr.
Linux....fine amateur radio op
....wealth of experience... Silent KeyVA2GJB-
Graham...one of the good 14313
guys back in the day. Silent KeyK1BHV-
David...PITA Silent Key
W1JSH-
Mort...Air Force man Silent KeyK1MAN--Glen....PITA
Silent KeyKB1CJG-"Cobby"-
Low key gent can be found on
many of the 75 meter
nets......... Silent KeyWB1AAZ-
Mike, Antrim, NH, auto parts
truck driver-retired Silent KeyWB1DVD-
Gil....Gilly..Gilmore.....easy
going, computer parts selling,
New England Ham.. Silent Key
W1OKQ-
Jack....3936 Wheeling and
Dealing......keeping the boys on
there toes....
Silent KeyW1TCS-
Terry....75 meter
regular, wealth of electronic
knowledge... Silent Key
WIPNR-
Mack....DXCC Master, worked them
all!.. 3864 regular for many
years... Silent Key
WILIM-
Hu....SK at 92... 3864
regular for many years... Silent Key
N1SIE-
Dave....Loves to fly Silent Key:N1WBD-
Big Bob- Tallest ham, at 6'10",
of the 3864 group Silent Key:W1FSK-Steve....Navy
Pilot, HRO Salesman, has owned
every radio ever built! Silent Key:W4NTI-Vietnam
Dan....far from easy going cw
and ssb op on 14275/313
Silent Key:K1FUB-Bill-
Loved ham radio....
